Imagine Entertainment is continuing to build out its kids and family division with the addition of a new Nickelodeon project. Variety has learned exclusively that Imagine Kids & Family is developing an untitled scripted space series with the children’s’ network. “Working with Brian, Ron and all the creative voices at Imagine to create this project
Television
June 18, 2019 9:30AM PT “Queer Eye” has been renewed for two more seasons at Netflix. The Emmy-winning unscripted series has been picked up for a fourth and fifth season at the streaming giant, with Season 4 set to debut on July 19. Season 5 will begin production next week and will debut on Netflix
June 18, 2019 8:38AM PT ABC’s “Grand Hotel” premiered to not so grand figures for the network. Based on the original Spanish series and starring Demian Bichir, Eva Longoria and Roselyn Sanchez, “Grand Hotel” provides an upstairs/downstairs look at the scandals and secrets of both the Mendoza family and the staff that works for them.
June 18, 2019 7:30AM PT HBO’s new series “Euphoria” has been causing waves due to the abundance of of violence, graphic nudity and drug use by its young characters that it puts on screen. Helped by star Zendaya, whose social media post prior to the premiere reminding viewers of the show’s mature themes has more
A stalwart Democrat plus Fox News Channel? That’s a recipe for making sparks fly. But Donna Brazile says she’s not looking for a fight when she appears on the cable-news outlet. Brazile, the former campaign manager for Al Gore in 2000 and a one-time interim chair of the Democratic National Committee, was named a Fox
Alan Cumming, whose CBS procedural, “Instinct,” starts its second season on June 30, is backing Pete Buttigieg in the Democratic nomination race for now, but that may change. Cumming tells Variety at the Monte Carlo TV Festival: “I was one of the hosts on a fundraiser for Pete Buttigieg, who I really find inspiring…but I
PAMPLONA, Spain — In an early and memorable dramatic beat in “Invisible Heroes,” a Original Series of Finnish broadcaster YLE, in partnership with Chilean network Chilevision, the former head of international trade under Chile’s Salvador Allende clambers over the garden wall of the chalet of a Finnish diplomat to seek asylum after Augusto Pinochet’s bloody
Cepa Audiovisual, the Argentina-based outfit producer of Ricardo Darín hit feature thriller “7th Floor,” has unveiled its initial slate of TV drama projects, led by Conecta Fiction 3 Pitch CoPro Series title “En busca de la primavera” (“In Search of Spring”). With a pilot episode written by Patxi Amezcua and Alejo Flah, the creative team
PAMPLONA, Spain — Conecta Fiction will see producers bring the strongest lineup of Chilean drama series in history. Following, just some of the highlights of projects which will be presented or are moving forward in Chile: ‘AZTEC GANGSTA WARRIOR’ Prod: Zona Cinema, Epika Content Penned by Diego Niño with Francisca Fuenzalida Moure on board
PAMPLONA. Spain — Chile’s “The Cliff,” Argentina’s “In Search of Spring” and Spain’s “The Yellow Bird” feature in a 10-title lineup of drama series projects at the 3rd Pitch CoPro Series, the industry centerpiece of Conecta Fiction, the world’s foremost Europe-Latin American TV co-production and networking forum. “Strong on genre and historical dramas,” observed Conecta
Navarre’s 35% tax credit has mainly lured a large list of national feature productions since its launch in 2015. Further international film and TV projects partially shot there, accessing Spain’s 20% tax deductions; other benefited from R&D incentives for Navarre-based animation and post-production companies. Here are some recent highlights: TITLE – YEAR OF PRODUCTION –
Raising Navarre’s profile as a meeting point for the European and Latin American audiovisual industry, its capital, Pamplona, hosts over June 17-20 the third edition of Conecta Fiction, the Europe-America TV series co-production and networking event. After celebrating its first two editions in Galicia’s Santiago de Compostela, Conecta moves to Baluarte, the Congress Center and
All The Kids Ent. (ATK), a Madrid-based content creation and consultancy group, is launching its first feature film and unveiling three new live action series aimed at the youth/young adult demo at TV co-production meet, Conecta Fiction. The fledgling company founded by its CEO Joana Carrion has forged a scriptwriting partnership with Spanish screenwriter Javier
June 17, 2019 9:26PM PT Who are the MTV Movie (and TV) Awards for, exactly? This is the question that kept rattling around my exhausted brain during Monday’s broadcast, which squeezed the ceremony (which happened live in Los Angeles on June 15) into two taut hours of waning pop culture references and supportive screaming. If
In today’s roundup, Netflix releases the trailer for season three of “GLOW” and Joel McHale gets a date for his first ever stand-up special. DATES Joel McHale will release his first ever stand-up special “Joel McHale: Live from Pyongyang” on August 19 through the Comedy Dynamics Network via Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play,
In some circles, Arturo Castro is best known for his role as the colorfully comedic Jaime on Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer’s “Broad City,” while others recognize him most as the much more serious and dramatic David on Netflix’s “Narcos.” But the writer, producer and performer doesn’t want to be put in a box. That’s
June 17, 2019 3:00PM PT There’s hardly a better setting for a summer drama than a swanky Miami hotel overflowing with champagne and secrets. Enter ABC’s “Grand Hotel,” based on a Spanish series and developed by Brian Tanen (“Devious Maids,” “Desperate Housewives”). It wastes no time diving straight into a tangled mess of melodrama, ranging
“Pose” fans will be having a ball. FX has renewed the Ryan Murphy-created show, which is swiftly emerging as an awards contender, for a third season after only one episode of season 2 has aired. “Pose,” is a dance musical that explores the juxtaposition of several segments of life and society in New York: the
The CW has announced its fall 2019 television season premiere dates, including the launch of two new series “Batwoman” and “Nancy Drew,” as well as the final season premieres for “Arrow” and “Supernatural.” As previously announced at the network’s upfront ceremony in May, “Batwoman” will lead the new superhero Sunday nights, paired with “Supergirl.” That
The Kirsten Dunst-led dark comedy series “On Becoming a God in Central Florida” is moving to its third network home. The one-hour series has been acquired by Showtime after it had previously been ordered to series at YouTube Premium while having first been in development at AMC. The nine-episode first season is set to debut
June 17, 2019 12:49PM PT There’s something extremely cathartic about watching a Latinx comedian get his own platform to do as he pleases, ripping cliches in the entertainment industry and beyond with invigorating vehemence. With his new Comedy’s Central sketch show “Alternatino,” Arturo Castro has the rare opportunity to tell his own story and skewer
Taking a cue from the theater and the old Hollywood studio system, Netflix has built up an impressive stock company of actors since getting into original programming. But interestingly, it is more coincidence than intentional creation of a repertory company. The streaming giant does not have a dedicated casting department at the network level. Instead,
June 17, 2019 11:00AM PT NBC is only adding three new shows to its schedule this fall, and the network has announced that all three are set to premiere the week of September 23. On Mondays, the Jimmy Smits-led courtroom drama “Bluff City Law” will follow “The Voice,” while on Thursdays, Bradley Whitford starrer “Perfect
CBS is moving into the lifestyle channel arena with the launch of DABL, a digital multicast network set to launch in September through its CBS Television Distribution unit. CBS has acquired a raft of programming from the vaults of Martha Stewart and Emeril Lagasse to help fill out the channel devoted to what it described
June 17, 2019 10:30AM PT Tyra Banks is the latest name to join the Quibi content push. The actress and model will both star in and executive produce a new documentary series titled “Beauty,” a multi-part show which “celebrates being beautiful.” The aim of the series is to “break down barriers and challenge traditional notions”
June 17, 2019 7:00AM PT Chris Coelen has extended his tenure as CEO of Kinetic Content as the LA-based production business moves into scripted TV. Kinetic is part of the Red Arrows Studios stable and has been built on unscripted fare, with a roster of factual entertainment, formats and lifestyle series including “Married at First
Looking to replicate the success of “Gomorrah” and “My Brilliant Friend,” a clutch of Italian TV producers is making the trek to L.A. to pitch high-end TV series based on local properties steeped in crime and history. Top outfits such as Fabula Pictures, the makers of Italian Netflix original “Baby,” and Lux Vide, which is
MADRID — Spanish production powerhouse The Mediapro Studio and Chilean broadcast network ChileVisión, part of Turner Latin America, have signed a co-production pact, kicked off by “El discípulo del Chef,” an ambitious entertainment format. One of Mediapro’s big new unscripted plays, the show will be introduced to buyers at October’s Mipcom trade fair. The title
June 17, 2019 2:39AM PT A host of guest stars have signed on for “Criminal,” the stripped-down Netflix procedural set in France, Spain, Germany and the U.K. The action takes place within the confines of a police interview suite. There are three 45-minute episodes set in each country. Guest stars in the British installments include
MADRID — Navarre has been a long-term film and TV shooting locale thanks to diverse and sometimes stunning landscapes that take in the Bardenas Reales badlands, immortalized in titles such as “The World Is Not Enough” and “Game of Thrones.” One of Spain’s richest regions, Navarre has historically levied its own tax regime, which led